Operating-gear for doors of hopper-bottom cars.



Patented 13m? l5, lem.

J. SIMUN'TUN. oPEnATING GEAR `Fim nouns 0F HoPPEn oTToM CARS.

(Appiicaton med 9ct. 22, 1900.

No. saws@ (No Model.)

Patented 1an. I5, |90I. J. SIMUNTON. OPERATING GEAR FOR DOORS 0F HAOPPER BOTTUM CARS.

(Application led Oct. 22, 1900.\

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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No. s6s,|so. Patented 1an. f5', 190|.

J. summon. OPERATING GEAR FOR DOUBS 0F l-IIIIPPER BUTTON CARS.

(Application n'xed oet. 22, 1900 3 Sheets--Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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tively opening and closing the same.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACKSON SIMONTON, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

OPERATING-GEAR FOR DOORS OF HOPPER-BOTTONI CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part' of Letters Patent No. 666,160, dated January 1.5, 1901.

Application led October 22, 1900. .Serial No.33,898. KNO mode-l.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACKSON SIMoNToN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Altoona, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Operating Gear for Doors of Hopper-Bottom Oars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in mechanism for operating the doors of hopper-bottom cars, and has for its object the provision of improved means for posi- This object I attain as hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of sufficient of a car-hopper to illustrate my invention, the door being in the closed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the door open and the parts of my improved device in their extended position. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an outside view of a part of a car, showingthe end of the operating-shaft and the locking mechanism therefor; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cam-lever.

In the drawings, Ais one of the hoppers of an ordinary coal-car, and A is the inclined bottom section thereof, having the door B hinged at b. When open, this door is inthe position shown in Fig. 2, and when closed it is in the position shown in Fig. l. A stiffeniug bar or angle c serves to brace and strengthen the lower edge of the hopper-bottom, and the bar C extends across and is riveted to the doors of the hopper.

D is a winding-shaft having a bearing d on the outside of the car. Its inner end is rectangularin section, being constructed to fit a corresponding hole through a cam-lever F, preferably of the form shown in the figures. This lever is within a protective inclosure E, which divides each hopper into two sections, and its hub, through which the shaft D passes, is extended laterally to form trunnions adapted to bearings d on said inclosure. It will be understood that a hopper-section with a door similar to that shown is situated on the other side of the car, the door being attached to the cross-bar O' in the same way as the door B and operated simultaneously therewith. Supported on the said hub and comprising the cam-lever F is a guide or supporting section f, a cam-section f, and an armf2, to which latter one end of a link G is pivoted. The other end of the link is pivoted to the hooked end of a connecting-bar H. This bar is suitably hung to the door B, preferably by means of an eyebolt b', as shown.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the curved or hooked end of the connectingbar H is constructed to iit the cam-section of the cam-lever, so that when the door is in its closed position any pressure from the inside of the car against said door is transmitted through the bar H to the cam-section, and hence directly to the shaft D. By this means I prevent the strain from coming on the pivotpins g and g' and support the door rigidly in its closed position.

It will be noted that there is an abutment or projection q on the connecting-bar H and in the plane of the cam-section f ofthe threearmed cam-lever. This cam-section f has one edge c curved eccentric to the center of the shaft D, and this edge bears against the abutment q when the door is closed. The radius of the curve is such that in revolving the 'shaft to open the door the edge e continues to bear against the abutment, When the shaft D is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. l, the strain of pushing the doors open is transmitted positively by the eccentric cam-section f to this projection. Thus it will be seen that should the doors stick or the material in the car be frozen to them, as very frequently happens, this construction of the operating-gear, whereby the force for opening the doors is applied directly to the connecting-bar, will be most effective. As in holding the door closed, so in opening it, none of the strain comes on the pivotpoints of the intermediate levers, but is applied as nearly as possible to the door itself.

On the outside of the car is the shaft-locking device,`consisting of aldisk I on the squared end section of the shaft D and having a projection t, constructed to be engaged and held bya lever J, pivoted atj. This lever is slotted at j', and the slot is so placed and shaped as to fit over the projection t', thus preventing revolution of the shaft. The object in thus slotting the lever J, as shown in Fig. 4t, is to make it possible to lock the doors in the IOO open as well as in the closed position in order to prevent their swinging when the car is in motion. By giving the shaft one complete revolution the doors are made to open and may be held from motion in either direction by the slotted lever J being dropped over the projection t' of the disk I. It is held in its engaged position bya locking-lever K of the ordinary type. The end of the shaft D is squared to receive a crank, by which means the door mechanism is operated.

When the lever J is removed from cont-act with the projection v), the hopper-doors cannot open suddenly, for its pull is exerted in a line with the shaft D, which is the axis of revolution of both G and F. By means of a suitable crank the doors may be opened to any extent and may be locked in their position of maximum opening.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination in ahopper-bottom car, of a hopper, a door hinged thereto, a shaft supported4 in the car, a cam-lever thereon having an arm, a supportingfsection and an eccentric cam-section, a connecting-bar attached to the door having means on it for engaging the said eccentric cam-section and a link connecting` the said bar with the arm of the cam-lever, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a hopper, a door hinged thereto, a shaft, a cam-lever on said shaft having a supportingsection, an eccentric cam-section and an arm, a connectingbar attached to the door, a link connecting the arm of thecam-lever and connecting-bar, and an abutment on the connectingbar, whereby when the door is forced open, the power therefor is transmitted directly from the cam-lever to the connecting-bar, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a door-operating device of the character described, of an operating-shaft having an end adapted to receive an operating-crank, a plate or disk on the end of said shaft having a projection thereon, a pivoted arm slotted to t over and retain said projection and a locking-lever whereby the pivoted arm is kept in engagement with the projection on the plate, substantially as described.

4. In a device for operating inclined doors of a hopper-bottom car of the character described, the combination with the shaft, a connecting-bar hooked at one end and having on it an abutment, an eyebolt and a link, of a three-armed cam-lever having two of yits arms at an angle to one another in the same plane, and the third arm in a plane parallel to that of the other arm, with a body-section connecting the arms and constructed to fit on the said shaft, substantially as described.

5. ln an operating-gear for the inclined doors of a hopper-bottom car, the combination of a car-body, a hopper in the bottom thereof, an opening thereto and a door hinged to said opening, a transverse shaft, bearings on the car-body for supporting the same, a three-armed cam-lever on said shaft, one of said arms being made to form a curved bearing-surface, a link pivoted to a second arm of the said lever, an eyebolt in the door and a connecting-bar between the link and the eyebolt, said bar having a hooked end con-- structed to it the curved bearing-surface of the said arm of the cam-lever, an abutment on said connecting-bar, constructed to be engaged by the third arm of the said cam-lever, the pressure against the door when it is closed being transmitted through the connecting-bar direct to one of the arms of the said cam-lever, substantially as described.

6. The combination in an operating device for the doors of hopper-bottom cars, of a shaft, a bearing therefor, a connecting-bar, an abutment thereon, a three-armed lever on the shaft, and a link connecting the said lever kand the connecting-bar, the abutment on said bar being in the saine plane as one of the arms of the three-armed lever, said arm having an edge adapted to bear against said abutment and curved eccentric to the center of the shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACKSON SIMVONTON.

Witnesses:

A. H. SLUYMAN, F. W. FORD. 

